The world as it was before October 7, 2023 has gone forever. That event has changed us all. It changed everything. This year the run up to the High Holidays feels very different. It’s normally a very happy time of year, a time to gather families and celebrate, but this year we cannot help but remember things we wish we could forget.
The burnt out cars and homes. The raped and mutilated bodies. The Zaka volunteers who tended to the dead appeared on our screens harrowed beyond words, one man even suffering heart failure after getting through several years worth of equipment in days. The noise of revving motorbikes and cheers… that sound still causes shudders. The endless funerals, and more deaths from those organizing so many funerals that their heart eventually gave out. And then there’s the hostages… Those 101 hostages still held captive in Gaza. Dear God…
For the first weeks and months after the vicious attack we watched in compounded horror as cities around the world erupted in support for Hamas. They were praised as freedom fighters, shaking off shackles of Israeli oppression. Posters of the Bibas babies trapped in captivity were ripped apart and defaced. In Europe. In America. Where were our allies? It seemed from Israel that the church was silent, but we now know that God never left us our friends have been faithful this entire time. It’s been extraordinary to see how God has protected Israel over and over again during the relentless waves of attack from every direction.
But still, it’s hard to think about celebrating. Honestly, just the sight of a sukkah sends me reeling. October 7 doesn’t feel like a date in the past—we are still in it. Many are feeling a sense of dread as we lurch toward the inevitable collision between a supposedly joyful holiday season and the worst kind of anniversary ever. As we come up to October 7, 2024, where are we now?
How has it affected the people of Israel?
To give you an idea of how Jewish people have been experiencing the events of since October 7, here are a few quotes in their own words:
“In the aftermath of October 7 and everything else, the kaleidoscope twisted, and the world is different. For many of us, a deep anger has taken root, and the questions we’ve carried about faith and humanity have become louder, sharper.” ~ Sarah Tuttle-Singer, a Jerusalem-based writer
“I can’t sleep and I know it’s because it’s October. This last 12 months, the Jewish calendar year, has been a 12 months in which we have all felt Jewish first and foremost, because the world has made it so. We were forced to confront our nightmares, our fears, the true depths of our relationships, our strength, our pride, our inner turmoils and conflicts.
We were forced to confront what it means to be a Jew. I know all of our lives have changed beyond recognition.
In the coming days with Rosh Hashanah hopefully a distraction will be provided for the inevitable pain of an anniversary we are all dreading. Just remember that the body keeps the score. If you’re sleepless and anxious and sad and afraid, it’s just your body fighting to keep going while you take stock of the nightmare of last October. We are not there any more. We are here. It is different and we are stronger.” ~ Eve Barlow, journalist.
Jewish YouTube commentator, Oliver Anisfeld, reflected on the events that have happened over the last year—especially the way Israel has systematically been taking out terrorists and destroying their ability to harm Israel:
“We need to have a gratitude, for the armed forces… and also to the God of Israel.” Referencing Israel’s rescue from annihilation in the book of Esther, he said, “We need to have humility to realize that even though we put in our efforts… ultimately there are people trying to destroy people every single day and the fact that we’re able to thwart their plans, all of this you can’t put down to our own success. It would be arrogant, it would be complacent. We have a God who neither slumbers nor sleeps who is looking out for us.”
Acknowledging it’s hard to answer why God allowed October 7 to happen, as we also struggle to understand why He allowed the Holocaust, Anisfeld nonetheless stressed it’s important to give credit to God for the miracles of protection we have seen.
“We should be turning upwards and saying… thank you God for looking out for us and for for helping us we don’t understand why the bad things happen and why the suffering happens but we know that ultimately the end he is guiding our hands he is guiding history.” ~ Oliver Anisfeld, J-TV
Meanwhile, on a Jerusalem Facebook group, one man said after surviving the second Iranian attack,
“I don’t know about anyone else, but when I got up today I said a little prayer thanking God for the people who designed our air defense system and those who operate it.”
It’s true that the Jewish people have a very high value on life, and that Israel’s Defense Forces are very good at defending it. Even in Gaza and Lebanon, urban warfare has never seen anything like Israel’s efforts to preserve civilian life. But still as Anisfeld said, it’s important to recognize there’s more than human effort keeping Israel safe right now. Many are aware of this. God is looking after Israel and your prayers are really helping!
Hamas almost defeated, but the “ring of fire” still rages
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said in a press conference on September 10 that,
“Hamas as a military formation no longer exists. Hamas is engaged in guerrilla warfare and we are still fighting Hamas terrorists and pursuing Hamas leadership.”1
Battalion after battalion has been taken down, the tunnels have been systematically destroyed, and terrorists taken out. Even the people of Gaza have become increasingly sick of Hamas, according to a poll conducted there. Despite the world’s insistence that Israel should stop, Israel did not stop and has been very successful in one of their goals: The dismantling and disabling of Hamas so that October 7 can never happen again.
Similarly Hezbollah has been crippled, their command structure destroyed and munitions decimated in some extraordinary moves by Israel. Though roundly condemned by the watching world, many from Iran, Lebanon, and Syria have been rejoicing that Israel has dealt such a blow to the oppressive Hezbollah regime. The Sunnis were delighted, and Iranian dissidents are hoping that the Iranian regime might be next in line.
Half of the hostages have been recovered, but far too many are still held captive in Gaza. Gallant recommended making a ceasefire deal to recover the hostages and avoid all out regional war, but that proved easier said than done. Gal Hirsch, the special envoy for hostages, said that Israel was even ready to “provide safe passage to Sinwar, his family, whoever wants to join him,” adding, “we want the hostages back…we want demilitarization, de-radicalization of course — a new system that will manage Gaza.” But the deal was rejected.
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During a recent missile attack on Tel Aviv, this conversation just happened among neighbors in a bomb shelter:
“Is it from the north?”
“Could still be the south.”
“It could also be from the east?”
“The last Houthi drone came from the west, actually.”
The Iranian terror proxies are all around us, firing on every side. Israel is being attacked from seven fronts, and yet is still considered the aggressor.
Holding back on the mission to destroy the capacity of terrorists to attack Israel would only wreak havoc in the future. The sworn goals of terror groups like Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis, of the Iranian Regime and Islamic Jihad who all surround Israel, is utter destruction of the Jewish state. This is called the “ring of fire” by Israel’s enemies, and looks very much like Psalm 83 to Israel’s friends. Israel must make sure these enemies on every side do not have the capacity to carry out their diabolical plans, but the world keeps screaming “ceasefire”.
What has God been doing?
It’s a remarkable fact that very few people have been hit by the thousands upon thousands of rockets fired into Israel, and despite the stated goal of murdering Jews, no Jewish people at all have been killed at all by these missiles. Sadly, twelve Druze children playing football were killed in the north of Israel in a Hezbollah attack, a Bedouin girl was critically injured in the first Iranian attack and a Palestinian man from Gaza was killed in Jericho by falling debris in the second onslaught the day before Rosh Hashanah. Ironically, five Iranian guards were killed in the process of firing the missiles to Israel, but they were almost all intercepted or fell in empty spaces. Of course there have been terrible losses especially among our soldiers, but it is clear to see how God has been protecting Israel. All three defense systems, the Iron Dome, David’s Sling and the Arrow system all worked together perfectly to a degree that defies probability. The fact that it was the biggest ballistic missile attack the world has ever seen makes it all the more remarkable.
This has impacted many in Israel, including one senior executive at Microsoft and who “wasn’t exactly a God fearing Jew” according to his friend, journalist Hillel Fuld. At least, he didn’t used to be. Here’s Hillel’s account of what he wrote, and what happened:
“If you’re looking for miracles man – last night I started believing. Missiles hit all around me but none of them hit my house or any house, for that matter.”
He elaborated some more and shared info about the missiles that he watched land just meters away from very strategic places in Israel, to say the least.
Each one of those defense systems is, in and of itself, pretty miraculous, but what is even more insane is the low casualty numbers from the rockets and missiles that were NOT intercepted. Where did those missiles go? I’ll tell you where. They landed in sand, in water, and in “Empty spaces”.
There have been multiple stories of miracles in Gaza, both from within the soldiers trying to dismantle Hamas in heavily booby-trapped danger zones, and also from Gazan people themselves needing help, praying to Jesus, and seeing wonderful answers. Even in all the trauma and suffering, God is always at work. We’re also seeing spiritual hunger stirred in an extraordinary way over this last year.
We have seen a huge uptick in spiritual interest since October 7, and the trajectory of those subscribing to our YouTube channel about our faith has been skyrocketing. We quickly reached half a million subscribers, and at this rate we will overtake one of Israel’s main news outlets very soon.
People want answers and are searching for meaning. Many are looking up at this time. Please pray for us as we hold out the hope so many are looking for.
ONE FOR ISRAEL’s Dr Golan Broshi brings some thoughts based around the book of Esther for us at this time:
“In the Book of Esther 7:4, the Jewish queen is telling king Ahasuerus: “We have been sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be killed, and to be annihilated.” (see also, Esther 3:13; 8:11). The seed of Amalek came back with a vengeance to destroy Israel. Hundreds of years have passed but not much has changed: In John 10:10, Yeshua reminded His followers that Satan came only to steal and kill and destroy (borrowing almost word by word from Esther 7:4). Thousands of years pass, and Satan tries to strike yet again: on the bloody (literally “bloody”) 7th of October 23, we in Israel were all reminded that our adversary the devil still prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour (1 Pet. 5:8). In the times of Esther, Satan tried to eliminate the Jewish people so the Promised Seed would not come; When the Promised Seed came into the world, Satan did his best to prevent Jews from following Him; now Satan will do all he can so our Messiah – the Promised Seed – will not return to save His children and restore the kingdom to Israel (see Acts 1:6).
Like many Israelis today, Golan strongly feels hope despite all the painful things that have happened, but reminds us that we do need to turn to God in humility and repentance:
“I believe that “He who promised is faithful” (Heb. 10:23). Therefore, my prayer today relies on what God has promised: “If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land” (2 Chr. 7:14).”
- Times of Israel, Gallant: Hamas as ‘military formation’ in Gaza is gone, IDF focus shifting to north, September 10, 2024
- https://youtu.be/BIVrg6qsOk0?si=P7K67rIDciYr79T2
- Britain Israel Communications and Research Centre, BICOM Briefing Briefing: Hezbollah’s Precision Missile Project, October 2019
- In September 2018, speaking at a counter terrorism conference, former Mossad deputy chief Naftali Granot admitted that Hezbollah had “recently received small numbers of GPS precision-guided systems that will help it to convert some heavy missiles into accurate missiles”
Picture credit: Pam Jones
